Ultimate California Wine Blog

Julie Johnson is an incredibly busy woman these days. She has recently been named President of Zinfandel Advocates & Producers (known as ZAP by wine geeks). That in itself is a tremendous understaking, except to consider that she is also CFO, CEO, and now winemaker for her own label, Tres Sabores, which translates to mean ‘three tastes."

Diminutive in stature, and quick and agile like a lean fox, Julie gets excited and speaks quickly when talking about her winery. She started the winery as a bit of experiment. The Three Tastes concept was such that she had this lovely organic vineyard in one of the most sought-after appellations, Rutherford. In a bold and innovative move, she hired three different winemakers to produce wines from her single vineyard.

The initial plan was a six-year project; she wanted the three winemakers to produce the wine for six vintages. Instead, she had four winemakers; Rudy Zudeima who did produce a total of six labels, Karen Culler who made five different vintages, and Ken Bernards and Ashley Heisey both producing three vintages each. Now, having made an astonishing reputation with the help of these mythic winemakers, Julie is taking the reigns herself is making the wine.

2003 Rutherford Zinfandel – A blend of three different cuvees, the warm, red fruit aromas provided a soft, supple entry that displays elegantly integrated tannins. Dark fruit dominates the mouth with a core of spice that shows some of the classic Rutherford dust. Only 500 cases made. $30.00

2002 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon – This is the second year that Julie herself has made this wine. Dark purple in color, the bouquet is mostly dark cassis with layers of dusty herbs. The mouth entry is complex showing dark chocolate and blackberry with a chiseled finish. Not yet released, price unknown.

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For contacting: P.O. Box 238 ~ Rutherford ~ CA ~ 94574
Actual location, by appointment only: 1620 S. Whitehall Lane ~ St. Helena ~ Ca ~ 94574 ~ 707-967-8027

There are so many ultra-small boutique wineries who only produce a single label and who are not open to the public. It is those wineries that are the most difficult for me to write about except for the wonderful people at Copia who occasionally throw special events that enable me to meet the proprietors of these wineries. As an aside, my biggest problem is that there are too many of these vendors at these tastings for me to have adequate time with them to get their stories… But I’m chipping away at my humongous list of wineries one label at a time.

Marston Family Vineyards is one of the more prestigious so I was quite thrilled for the opportunity to taste their wine. Located high on Spring Mountain, the Marston name has been well-known in the industry as vineyard owners for almost forty years having acquired this piece of property that already had a 100+ year history as grape growing vineyards. As vineyard owners, the Marstons supplied grapes to numerous award-winning winemakers including Andre Tchelistcheff and Sean Thackery.

Elizabeth Marston was representing the family at the day’s tasting event and is part of the lineage carrying on the history of quality as Director of Public Relations. Now producing wine under their own name, continuing in the tradition of exceptional winemakers using their grapes, the Marstons have none other than Phillipe Melka at the helm. The wine, limited to 500 cases is unlikely to be available for very long.

2002 Cabernet Sauvignon – Purple-hued and intensely dark, tons of dark cherry, plum, and a tease of mint appear in the nose. Chewy and complicated, heightened tannins present up front in this newly-opened bottle, but show well-developed flavors of dark blueberry, chocolate, minerals, and balanced acids. The finish is supple and engaging. The price is $240.00 for three 750ml bottles.

Marston Family Vineyard ~ P.O. Box 668 ~ St. Helena ~ CA ~ 94574 ~ 707-963-8490

I’ve know about Robert Craig Wine Cellars for a while, in a back-handed sort of way… When I was working up at Ladera, Robert Craig’s winemaker, Chad, would come over and visit as he and Tres are really good friends. I’ve been privy to a tasting now and then but never got to visit the actual facility up on Howell Mountain. Fortunately for me — and now for you! — they have opened a tasting room in downtown Napa, making it a lot easier for all concerned except for maybe Chad, who still drives up the mountain to make their extraordinary wine.

The downside to the tasting room is that it is quite off the beat-and-track. Although technically downtown, it is located in a small building essentially surrounded with some of the more downtrodden Victorians (although there is hope as signs of renovation abound). An additional note on the tasting room; because of its slightly remote location, it is technically appointment-only, Tuesdays through Saturday. Although Rachel Miller, their manager, assures me that she tries her best to never turn anyone away.

The day of my visit was a special open house so there were some munchies and Ms. Lynn Craig there to welcome visitors. Rachel advised me that normally the table is set-up for a more informative sit-down tasting which is always complimentary (yet another rarity in Napa!). And knowing my penchant for mountain wines, how could I not be impressed…

2002 Syrah – Rich, sweet aromas of smoke and bacon with a tease of mint. Chocolate taste at first, then dark fruit streaks of blueberry, blackberry, and plum. Rachel explained this was a the blend of two vineyards; a cool Los Olivos and a warmer Paso Robles. Being younger than I normally drink Syrah, I was impressed that it already showed supple, smooth characteristics. Medium-bodied, it was not over-the-top with heat or alcohol, but already well-developed. $28.00

2000 Affinity – Their name for the Bordeaux blends that are made, which are mostly Cabernet Sauvignon. In this case 76% Cabernet, 22% Merlot, and 2% Petite Verdot. The wine displayed some dark, twiggy, rustic brambleberry aromas with a whisper of chocolate. Initially sweet on the entry, an earthy core was balanced with dark blueberry and a rich, long, silky finish. Sold Out

2001 Affinity - 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, and 2% Pertite Verdot. Intensely rich dark core of blackberry and smoke with a hint of sweetness on the back of the nose. Tight entry blossoms to show bright, engaging fruit with some oak and a currant finish. $Available only as part of a vertical

2002 Affinity – Over-the-top black fruit with tones of black licorice. Bright, sweet entry is concentrated with layers of herbs. Darker finish with a touch of cocoa. $40.00

2002 Mt. Veeder Cabernet – 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Classic Veeder with tons of dark cherry, leather, and tobacco. A touch of hot twig and herbs showing the wine’s youth. Mouth entry has tons of up-front fruit with flavors of dark cherry and cranberry. $50.00

2002 Howell Mountain Cabernet – Purple in color, spice dominates the intense dark fruit aromas. Silky smooth entry is velvety and rich with developed structure and perfectly balanced tannins. Supple. Wine club members only.

Robert Craig Wine Cellars ~ 880 Vallejo Street ~ Napa ~ CA ~ 94559 ~ 707-252-2250

The Napa valley is a valley which means that it is surrounded by hills, mountains, and peaks. It also means there are wineries in them thar hills and I think that despite the occasional car sickness that is experienced when traversing the dizzying roads, there is nothing I love more than going to mountain wineries. I had been looking forward to Rutherford Hill Winery because it lies on the same mountain as Auberge du Soleil. In a sense, it actually sits on top of the resort.
 

Rutherford Hill has many draws to to it, not the least of which is its picnic grounds. I’m a huge advocate of wineries that have picnic grounds accessible to customers and the view from this one doesn’t get much better. I’ve been up a number of times and if the weather is cool and mild enough, be prepared to see wildlife of the Disney persuasion (think Bambi and Thumper).

The building itself is stately and greets you when you come through the gates as you have just ascended the sometimes single-lane, windy road. The tasting room is broken into two areas; the Current Release Tasting or the Reserve Tasting. For $10, a tour can be arranged and are apparently quite popular as I watched a number of customers waiting for one (although it surprised me that while they were waiting, they didn’t bother to taste… perhaps afterwards).

2003 Napa Valley Chardonnay – Creamy aromas of white peach with a tease of lemon. Viscous, thick mouthfeel with tons of butter and oak on the finish. $17.50

2003 Rosé of Merlot – Fresh, young raspberry and cherry with a solid undercore of meringue. Easy tongue play showing bright carnation and jasmine underpinings. $15.00

2002 Syrah – Clove and dark plum dance in a somewhat steamy, hot playground. Tight entry blossoms a tad, but I wanted more. $28.00

2002 Napa Valley Merlot – Dense, dark brambleberry lies atop dusty twigs. Medium bodied and mostly mineral in the beginning doesn’t seem to go anywhere. $25.00

2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon – Black plum and black currant almost overwhelms. There is some definite chocolate in the mouth but the finish is thin and harsh. $32.00

2001 Episode – A Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend at $150 a bottle, I was extremely disappointed to taste a bottle that had obviously been open for several days. Port-like mouth entry and nothing but oxidized aromas. Charging $10.00 for a 1.5 ounce toast, make sure the bottle is fresh before plunking down the moolah.

2001 Port Zin – Red floral and red fruit with twigs in this zinfandel brandy-fortified offering. Unknown price.

Rutherford Hill Winery ~ 200 Rutherford Hill Road ~ Rutherford ~ CA ~ 94573 ~ 707-963-1871

As one travels up the Silverado Trail, northbound from Napa to Calistoga, there is a single large turn off towards Lake Berryessa.  After rows and rows of vineyards, the intersection suddenly stands out as a span of open field is punctuated by a large collection of old, stately trees. The trees are the shading and elegant setting of Rutherford Ranch.

The estate has a a small creek running through it as well as a pond. A series of small buildings, which I believe are guest houses, are nestled amongst the trees. I did not get an opportunity to walk around and hope that the proprietors have made this idyllic space available to visitors and not simply relegated the enclave to office space. The day of my visit was just after a family wedding and any crew who could have answered questions was too inundated with other visitors.

The tasting room itself is contained within a stately, sprawling building. I was able to talk with one chap in the tasting room about the two separate labels. Many business decisions are made when second labels are created and I was curious about the differences between the Rutherford Ranch and Round Hill labels. Apparently the gist of the Round Hill entirely for a bulk retail market and not really poured in the tasting room. Although the day of my visit, the Round Hill Chardonnay was being poured as it had won a series of awards.

What is most impressive about the winery’s operation is that in producing over 100,000 cases, the presentation of two labels and a public facility is not that which impacts consumers most. It is a private label business which includes the likes of Auberge du Soleil and a number of other prestigious restaurants. You may never know the next time you are dining in our favorite restaurant and are offered their own wine — it very well could be a Rutherford Ranch wine!  A note on prices; their website does not currently list selling prices and I have misplaced the price sheet I took from the winery, but suffice to say that the average price is in the $10 to $20 range.

2004 Sauvignon Blanc, Rutherford Ranch – Tart grapefruit dominates. Crisp, acidic mouth entry shows pungent lemon grass with a chewy lemon peel finish.

2004 Round Hill Chardonnay – A hint of malo displays a bit defined cream and butter upon entry but finishes a bit crisp with textured lemon flavors.

2003 Rutherford Ranch Chardonnay – Rich lemon bouquet with thick buttery mouth entry.

2002 Rutherford Ranch Merlot – Mostly warm berry tones in the nose with a hint of metal funk. Smooth entry is a bit hot with a twiggy, earthy mid-palate and a sharp chocolate finish.

2002 Rutherford Ranch Zinfandel – 97% Zinfandel, 1.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1.5% ‘Proprietary Blend’ – Medium bodied offering with tons of black cherry and licorice aromas. Simple, easy mouth entry with a crisp, mocha finish.

2002 Rutherford Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon – Tight, blackberry bouquet coupled with earth and oak. Blueberry flavors are somewhat flaccid.

2004 Rutherford Ranch Moscato – Clear straw color. Sweet orange blossom and yellow flowers in the nose. Clean flavors of ripe pear and apricot. Not syrupy or overly sweet but bright and engaging.

Rutherford Ranch/Round Hill Vineyards ~ 1680 Silverado Trail ~ St. Helena ~ CA ~ 94574 ~ 800-778-0424